This invention relates to outboard motors for making craft, and in particular to the alignment, steering, and control of two or more such motors.
It is of course well known to provide an outboard motor as a fitment to a marine craft. Typically this motor is bolted or clamped to the transom end provides motive power to a submerged propeller from an internal combustion engine at its upper part. Steering is effected by swinging the whole motor round a vertical pivoting axis using a forwardly-projecting steering tiller, and power to the motor is typically controlled by a twist grip upon this steering tiller connected to a conventional throttle.
It is also well known to mount two or more such motors side by side on a transom or transoms to provide increased power. The invention is particularly concerned with such arrangements. For convenience of description it will refer to a twin motor arrangement, it being understood however that similar arrangements for a triple or more motor mounting also fall within the scope of the invention as defined below.
When two or more motors are mounted side by side on a transom, some provisions must be made for convenient control of steering and of power of both motors. One known arrangement provide a detachable bar to connect the two tillers, so that movement of one tiller automatically involves movement of the other tiller. Typically, with such an arrangement a separate throttle control is envisaged.
Another known arrangement, as described in our earlier G.B. Patent No. 2031362 is to provide an additional single tiller. Such a tiller is connected to one of the motors, and protrudes forwardly essentially along the longitudinal median line of the vessel. The two motors are themselves interconnected by a tie rod, adjustable in length, between two motor mounting brackets. Push pull throttle cables extend from the additional tiller to each motor, and an optional gear change unit with connecting cables may be attached to one side of the additional tiller. In use, the individual tiller arms are folded up out of the way. The single additional tiller arm is used to control both steering and power.
Such an arrangement, whilst readily useable in that only one tiller protrudes forward from the motors, is somewhat elaborate and expensive. Accordingly, it has recently been proposed by the present Applicants to utilise a further type of interconnection, comprising two parts. One part is a rod interconnecting the steering brackets of the two motors, so that as one motor turns for steering the other motor turns with it. The other part is a rod connected to the twist portion of the relative throttle grips, so that as one twist portion turns to control the throttle the other twist portion also turns.
In this arrangement, instead of a single tiller there still remains both existing tillers, but either can be used to control both engines.